SchoolTime 07/08 Study Guide Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 11 a.m. Friday, March 7, 2008 at 11 a.m. Zellerbach Hall About Cal Performances and SchoolTime The mission of Cal Performances is to inspire, nurture and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the performing arts. Cal Performances, the performing arts presenter of the University of California, Berkeley, fulfi lls this mission by presenting, producing and commissioning outstanding artists, both renowned and emerging, to serve the University and the broader public through performances and education and community programs. In 2005/06 Cal Performances celebrated 100 years on the UC Berkeley Campus. Our SchoolTime program cultivates an early appreciation for and understanding of the performing arts amongst our youngest audiences, with hour-long, daytime performances by the same world-class artists who perform as part of the main season. Teachers have come to rely on SchoolTime as an integral and important part of the academic year. Cal Performances Education and Community Programs Sponsors Cal Performances’ Education and Community Programs are supported by American Express Company Foundation, California Arts Council, California Mortage & Realty, Design Community & Environment, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Orton Development Inc., Sharon & Barclay Simpson, Pacifi c National Bank, The Wallace Foundation, Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Trust, and The Zellerbach Family Foundation. SchoolTime Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | I Welcome February 10, 2008 Dear Educators and Students, Welcome to Cal Performance’s SchoolTime! On Thursday, March 6 or Friday, March 7, at 11:00 a.m. your class will attend the SchoolTime performance of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. Committed to promoting dance as a medium for honoring the past, celebrating the present, and fearlessly reaching into the future, this world-renowned company has been an electrifying international presence for nearly fi ve decades. The company’s spectacular repertoire ranges from cutting-edge modern choreography to spirituals, hip-hop, jazz, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and rhythm and blues. Along with “Saddle Up”, a piece from the company’s current repertoire, the SchoolTime performance features Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations,” his “divinely timeless, rousing, and radiant” masterpiece. This study guide will help you prepare your students for their experience in the theater and give you a framework for how to integrate the performing arts into your curriculum. Targeted questions and activities will help students understand the context for Alvin Ailey’s world renowned dance work, Revelations, and provide an introduction to the art form of modern dance. Your students can actively participate at the performance by: • OBSERVING the physical and mental discipline demonstrated by the dancers • LISTENING attentively to the music and lyrics of the songs chosen to accompany the dance • THINKING ABOUT how music, costumes and lighting contribute to the overall effect of the performance. • REFLECTING on the sounds, sights, and performance skills experienced at the theater We look forward to seeing you at SchoolTime! Sincerely, Laura Abram s Rica Anderson Director of Education Education Programs Administrator & Community Programs II | Table of Contents 1. Theater Etiquette 1 2. About the Performance 2 3. About the Artists 3 4. About the Art Form 7 5. About the Music 9 6. Reading Excerpt 14 7. Learning Activities 16 8. Glossary 22 9. California State Standards 23 Student Resource Sheet 24 1 Theater Etiquette Be prepared and arrive early. Ideally you should arrive at the theater 30 to 45 minutes before the show. Allow for travel time and parking, and plan to be in your seats at least 15 minutes before the performance begins. Be aware and remain quiet. The theater is a “live” space—you can hear the performers easily, but they can also hear you, and you can hear other audience members, too! Even the smallest sounds, like rustling papers and whispering, can be heard throughout the theater, so it’s best to stay quiet so that everyone can enjoy the performance without distractions. The international sign for “Quiet Please” is to silently raise your index fi nger to your lips. Show appreciation by applauding. Applause is the best way to show your enthusiasm and appreciation. Performers return their appreciation for your attention by bowing to the audience at the end of the show. It is always appropriate to applaud at the end of a performance, and it is customary to continue clapping until the curtain comes down or the house lights come up. Participate by responding to the action onstage. Sometimes during a performance, you may respond by laughing, crying or sighing. By all means, feel free to do so! Appreciation can be shown in many different ways, depending upon the art form. For instance, an audience attending a string quartet performance will sit very quietly, while the audience at a gospel concert may be inspired to participate by clapping and shouting. Concentrate to help the performers. These artists use concentration to focus their energy while on stage. If the audience is focused while watching the performance, they feel supported and are able to do their best work. They can feel that you are with them! Please note: Backpacks and lunches are not permitted in the theater. Bags will be provided for lobby storage in the event that you bring these with you. There is absolutely no food or drink permitted in the seating areas. Recording devices of any kind, including cameras, cannot be used during performances. Please remember to turn off your cell phone. SchoolTime Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | 1 2 About the Performance Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Judith Jamison, Artistic Director Masazumi Chaya, Associate Artistic Director Saddle Up! (excerpts) Choreography: Fredrick Earl Mosley, 2007 Music: Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor Costume design: Ann Hould Ward Scenic and Lighting design: Al Crawford Revelations Choreography: Alvin Ailey, 1960 Music: Traditional Decor and Costumes: Ves Harper Costume redesign for “Rocka-My-Soul” by Barbara Forbes Lighting: Nicola Cernovitch Pilgrim of Sorrow “I Been ‘Buked” arranged by Hall Johnson “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”* arranged by James Miller “Fix Me, Jesus” arranged by Hall Johnson Take Me to the Water “Processional / Honor, Honor” arranged by Howard A. Roberts “Wade in the Water” adapted by Howard A. Roberts / sequence by Ella Jenkins “A Man Went Down to the River” composed by Ella Jenkins “I Wanna Be Ready” arranged by James Miller Move, Members, Move “Sinner Man” arranged by Howard A. Roberts “The Day Is Past and Gone” arranged by Howard A. Roberts and John Sellers “You May Run On” arranged by Howard A. Roberts and John Sellers “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” arranged by Howard A. Roberts 2 | All performances of Revelations are permanently endowed by a generous gift from Donald L. Jonas in celebration of the birthday of his wife Barbara and her deep commitment to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 3 About the Artists Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater In 1958, Ailey founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater with the vision of creating a company dedicated to enriching American modern dance heritage and preserving the uniqueness of black cultural expression. In the company’s fi rst decade, Ailey created approximately 20 ballets, among them Revelations (1960). Although he completed some 79 ballets, Ailey ensured that the company’s varied repertory also included works by dance pioneers and emerging choreographers. In its 49-year history, the company has produced more than 180 works by 77 choreographers. Performing for an estimated 19 million people in 48 states, 68 countries and on six continents, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has earned a reputation as one of the most popular international ambassadors of American culture. In 1965, Ailey discovered dancer Judith Jamison. Her brilliant movement and creative style provided the inspiration for a number of his works, including Cry, his best-known solo piece. Ailey created Cry as a tribute to his mother and dedicated the piece to “All Black women everywhere – especially our mothers.” The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center was founded in 1969, with an initial enrollment of 125 students. Today, under the direction of Denise Jefferson, over 3,500 dance students from every part of the world receive training there. This diverse group of students contributes to a multicultural richness that is unique among dance schools. SchoolTime Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | 3 The school offers classes from Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) beginning through professional levels Born in Rogers, Texas, on January 5, and a comprehensive curriculum that 1931, Alvin Ailey spent his formative years includes Horton, Dunham, and Graham- going to Sunday School and participating based modern dance techniques, ballet, in the Baptist Young Peoples Union jazz, West African dance, Spanish dance, – experiences that later inspired some classical Indian dance, tap and yoga of his most memorable works, including classes. Several performers in the Revelations. At age 12, he moved to Los current Ailey company attended the Ailey Angeles and, on a junior high class fi eld school, went on to perform with Ailey II, trip to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, and have now become company members. fell in love with concert dance. To help talented students make the Ailey began his formal dance training leap from studio to stage, Ailey formed in Los Angeles motivated by performances the Repertory Ensemble, now called Ailey of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company II, in 1974. Under the artistic direction and classes with Lester Horton that his of former Ailey dancer Sylvia Waters, friend, Carmen de Lavallade, urged him Ailey II has emerged as an acclaimed to take. Horton, the founder of the fi rst professional company in its own right.